Alan Johnston Awarded by Amnesty International

One day after being freed by kidnappers in Gaza, BBC reporter Alan Johnston has been awarded a prize by human rights group Amnesty International.

Captors handed the reporter to Hamas officials on Wednesday morning, nearly four months after snatching him from the streets of Gaza City.

Mr Johnston, 45, said it was fantastic to be free after an "appalling" ordeal.

The Amnesty award was one of nine handed out at a ceremony in central London to honour journalists who had brought human rights abuses to light through their reporting.

The organisation praised the BBC correspondent for his radio reports from Gaza, where he has spent the last three years.

Amnesty International's UK Director, Kate Allen, said the judges had been impressed by Mr Johnston's "commitment to telling ordinary peoples' stories".

Allen said the judges had been "determined not to allow Alan's kidnapping to sway them, but there was a firm consensus when it came to choosing him as the winner".

Accepting the award on his son's behalf, Graham Johnston said Alan would be "highly honoured" to receive it.

"This morning my son was released from captivity and tonight, he gets this award," he said, remarking that it had been "quite a day".

Speaking after leaving Gaza for Jerusalem on Wednesday, Mr Johnston said it was "just unimaginably good to be free".

He said his ordeal felt like being "buried alive" and admitted that it was "sometimes quite terrifying".

The reporter said he had not been tortured by the Army of Islam group which seized him on 12 March.

He said he found the experience frightening "because I didn't know how it was going to end," but said he never considered escape as a real possibility.

Rallies were held worldwide throughout Mr Johnston's captivity calling for his release. An online petition was signed by some 200,000 people.

The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu said, "Hallelujah!" when he heard the news of Johnston's release. He held regular prayer vigils for the BBC correspondent since his kidnap and also appealed for his release on al-Jazeera.